


The Masks We Wear

by lifeofahumanbean



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, China Au, F/M, Fighting, Politics, War, it gets kinda gruesome-well as gruesome as 1640's china
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-05-25 21:23:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6210634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifeofahumanbean/pseuds/lifeofahumanbean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>「隱瞞真相是喜歡穿繡花的衣服，晚上出行」<br/>Concealing truth is like wearing embroidered clothes and traveling by night.<br/>-(Chinese Proverb)<br/> Under intense revisions<br/> </p><p>(Ming Dynasty) China Ladybug AU<br/>Rated m for later chapters</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> And so the story begins.

「如果一個女孩似乎是害羞的鼠標，你還是得看出來她內心的老虎。」  
“If a girl seems as shy as a mouse, be on guard for the tiger within her.”  
(Chinese proverb)

For a proper Ming woman to critique a companion is one thing, for her to do something so brash to her mistress of all people, well that is quite another altogether.

The event had occurred in the late afternoon, during a break for an unfortunately tepid cup of tea. Marinette had only hoped to mention that the offending drink was much too cold to be served properly, and that, should her lady return the teapot to the brazier for just a few minutes longer, it would reach a more agreeable drinking temperature. Such things, however helpful to the young mistress of the house they may be, are not to be said as the matchmaker is observing. Marinette had forgotten this, of course. She had never been one to properly comprehend the delicate intricacies within the upper caste, however hard her mother and tutors had tried.

She had always been much better suited for combat, in her mind.

So, expectedly, when the Matchmaker categorized Lady Wei Lai unfit for marriage, it was deemed Marinette’s fault. To her credit, it had been a noticeable error in her lady’s behavior, but nevertheless, punishment was in order.

As a handmaiden of such an esteemed woman, the disciplinary action for such a deed was by no means a death sentence that a lesser woman might earn by disrespecting a noble. Marinette, was subjugated to a much worse fate. Flogging.

Of all punishments to be given, Marinette had decided this was by far the most humiliating. The rough slap of the paddle against her backside was an impeccably unpleasant experience. Each lash added another streak of red to her bottom, and a matching shock of crimson to her shame-darkened cheeks.

It was made no better by the fact that xuézhě lǎoshī was the one currently tanning her arse with a bamboo rod.

Xuézhě lǎoshī, the head governess of the Xiào estate, was a woman of terrible height. Thin as a beanpole and as stern and sharp as the stick digging into Marinette, xuézhě was a force to be reckoned with.

From her position kowtowed on the floor, Marinette could hear the muffled giggles of the other handmaidens as they observed the torture. Wei Lai sat like a sepal in the middle of the blossoming youths, gaze stiff. A comparison of Marinette’s eyes and the young heiress’s would have shown no discrepancy in emotion. It as though her mistress was the one receiving the harsh treatment alongside herself.

An air of haughtiness still hung between them as the young Xiào maiden looked upon Marinette’s punishment with the guarded grace of a nobile. It was this, despite the shared guilt, reminded Marinette why she was still the only one receiving the lash.

The delicate shuffle from the sleeves of the women’s hanfus syncopated with the crack of the wooden rod, throbbing in time with her heartbeat

  
The humiliating, drawn out torture persisted long after the tea had cooled again. With a rough tug, Marinette was yanked off of the ground and tossed in the direction of her mistress, the governess’s talon like grip digging into her sore arms. She bit down a yelp of pain as the heavy fabric of her periwinkle overcoat flopped over the angry red mess that had become her arse. Wei lai’s wilted gaze grazed over her panting form, searching for a sign of defiance that she hoped not to find. every second of the consort’s scrutiny drove Marinette’s lips further into the flesh of her lips- she was worried she might break the skin soon.  

like a crisp sharp note from a bell, the delicate but resounding voice of dame Xiào struck out with the distinctive warbling tone of a distressed soul.

“That is enough, xuézhě lǎoshī.” Marinette allowed her cerulean eyes to make contact with the bister of her mistress’s as she spoke in her favor. It was a precarious position to have. Wei Lai ran the risk of seeming weak to her subordinates, and by the fluttering uncertainty in her chocolate stare, it seemed that both she and Marinette knew this.

The taste of iron blossomed on her tongue, and with a defeated huff, she dabbed at her split lip.

\----------------

Opium. China smelled of Opium.

Even from the bow of the ship, 50 meters off the coast, the distinct odor of poppy byproduct mingled acridly with the salted sea air. It weighed heavily over the country, a national addiction that laid waste to any honest man caught in its grasp.  The merchant’s son exhaled softly, the discarded air stale compared to the crispness of the maritime wind’s bite.

The odor brought with it the inciting promise of wealth and adventure. In this day and age, he who held the most opium held the world in his hands. 

 

Opium. Opium meant freedom.

For Adrien, at least. Opium had opened the trade routes from Europe to Asia almost as effectively as the Jesuits had. from the pull of Opium came the desire for European goods, clothes, religion and art. he had watched as merchants like him infested the country like a virus, seeping into the rich spice laden lands and clamping their gloved talons onto whatever they could. It was only a matter of time before his father had sent him to reap the riches as well.

Gabriel Agreste had rode in on those grasping hands, he had set up shop pedaling robes and sunk his claws into the earth. Soon the businessman had become much more than a fabric  merchant, the political power he held over the crumbling government was immense. It was important to keep that power In the family, Gabriel had mused. If the Agrestes wanted to maintain their monopoly, they would need to tend to the political front of their company.  With war on the horizon, and a son so well trained in the art of western warfare, it was customary to offer up at least one able youth to the cause. To be a foreigner in the war was suicide, so naturally it was Adrien and not his older brother who had been slated to the task.  And so here Adrien was, standing over the railing as the boat docked into the port like a tribute on a sacrificial slab. 

The town bustled before his eyes, inching ever closer as he contemplated whether or not his father thought him base.  

He spoke none of it to his son, but Adrien  had seen the barrels below deck, much too rounded to contain fabrics and far too guarded to be water or ale. He had known. He had known the moment he set foot on this blasted boat.

He only wished that his father would have left Adrien's diplomatic mission out of his drug trafficking. 

\--------

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a chapter

ok, so I've decided i'm going to be changing this into even more of an au than it previously was, because I'd like to get more of the ML lore into the story.  
So I'll be re writing some of the first chapter and probably shifting from opium to a different mysterious drug (wink wink akumas wink wink) in order to fix just how poorly I fact checked this piece. 

So uh yeah, a huge thanks to those who commented and left constructive criticism (especially Shyu for giving me some really valuable intel on china and Chinese grammar), I will be implementing it into the story. 

stay tuned for more! 

-Bean!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my First work on this site so if you guys have any pointers and/or translation notes please feel free to shoot me a message!  
> I don't speak French or Chinese so the translations may be a bit off!  
> Thanks for reading!


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